Written Answers Thursday 18 October 2007

Scottish Executive

Concessionary Travel

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to extend the national concessionary fares scheme for older and disabled persons to include those using local community transport in rural areas.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Executive has no plans to change the current scheme in advance of the independent review which is due to report by autumn 2008.

Concessionary Travel

Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to increase the number of disabled people using public transport, particularly trains.

Stewart Stevenson: We want to increase the number of all passengers using bus services by improving the public transport experience. To deliver this aim we are taking forward the implementation of Moving into the Future – an Action Plan for Buses which will drive up the quality of bus services by focusing on developing effective planning, reviewing government funding and ensuring the effective implementation of the current regulatory regime in order to deliver quality bus services to all our local communities.

  Under the Scotland-Wide Free Bus Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled People 153,000 cards have been issued to disabled people.

  Access to the railways for disabled people is a matter reserved to the UK Government. However, Transport Scotland officials work closely with the Department for Transport and the rail industry on improving access to the rail network for disabled people.

  Funding is being provided to improve access to railway stations and to refurbish and improve the accessibility of rail vehicles in use on the Scottish network.

Concessionary Travel

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what local concessionary travel schemes that included people in receipt of the low rate of the mobility component of disability living allowance existed prior to the introduction of the national travel scheme in April 2006.

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in receipt of the low rate of the mobility component of disability living allowance since the introduction of the national concessionary travel scheme have lost their eligibility for concessionary travel.

Stewart Stevenson: This information is not held centrally.

Concessionary Travel

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the criteria used to assess eligibility for disabled people in the National Bus Travel Concessionary Scheme.

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review as a matter of urgency the impact of the National Bus Travel Concessionary Scheme on people with a disability or sensory impairment.

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend the National Bus Travel Concessionary Scheme to people on the lower rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance.

Stewart Stevenson: Eligibility criteria for the Scotland-Wide Free Bus Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled Persons will be reviewed following the receipt of the final report into the operation of the current scheme in autumn 2008.

Concessionary Travel

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will amend the National Bus Travel Concessionary Scheme to ensure that those individuals who previously qualified for a pass because of a disability or sensory impairment do not have their free bus pass taken away.

Stewart Stevenson: We have no plans to change the current eligibility criteria in advance of the independent review of the scheme which is due to report by autumn 2008.

Concessionary Travel

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will amend the National Bus Travel Concessionary Scheme to ensure that all deafblind people in Scotland qualify for a companion pass.

Stewart Stevenson: We have no plans to amend the current eligibility criteria before the review of the scheme is completed in autumn 2008. At present the scheme does not have a specific "deafblind" category of eligibility.

  Registered blind people automatically qualify for a companion pass. People who are profoundly deaf (95+dBHLs) or severely deaf (70-94 dBHLs) qualify for a personal pass, but would qualify for a companion pass also only if they are:

  In receipt of the higher or middle rate of the care component of the disability living allowance (DLA), or

  In receipt of attendance allowance, or

  Living in a residential home or hospital and are eligible for the higher or middle rate of the care component of the DLA or attendance allowance.

Direct Payments

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people use direct payments, broken down by qualifying category and local authority area.

Stewart Maxwell: This information is available from the latest statistics release, Direct Payments Scotland 2007 , which was published on the internet on 25 September 2007. The document can be found using the link below http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Health/Publications .

  A copy is also available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 43799).

Energy

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive why Transport Scotland has not yet adopted an energy policy.

Stewart Stevenson: Energy usage and conservation is a key concern of the agency, activity in this area includes:

  working to source a new electricity supplier for the trunk road network (21% of the energy supplied to the network from March 2008 will be provided from green power sources),

  publishing a guidance note on Controlling Light Pollution and Reducing Lighting Energy Consumption,

  planning to engage a consultant to assist in a review of trunk road energy usage,

  being an active participant in the Rail Sustainable Steering and Development Group.

  preparing its inaugural Travel Plan, one of the first to take a "carbon focused" approach which will attempt to achieve a 35,000kg reduction in CO2 emissions from staff travel over the next two years.

  its headquarters occupying a small proportion of a large, leased premises which has been refurbished to modern standards of energy efficiency.

Enterprise

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish Enterprise staff will be co-located with East Ayrshire Council staff in the Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley parliamentary constituency as part of the revised enterprise network structure.

Jim Mather: This will be an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise in discussion with East Ayrshire Council.

Enterprise

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish Enterprise staff will be co-located with South Ayrshire Council staff in the Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley parliamentary constituency as part of the revised enterprise network structure.

Jim Mather: This will be an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise in discussion with South Ayrshire Council.

Enterprise

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff from Scottish Enterprise’s headquarters will be located in the Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley parliamentary constituency following reorganisation of the enterprise networks.

Jim Mather: This will be an operational matter for discussion between Scottish Enterprise and relevant local authorities.

Enterprise

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, under the proposed restructuring of the enterprise network, Scottish Enterprise will have the same breadth of remit as Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Jim Mather: Prior to the restructuring of the enterprise network, Scottish Enterprise had a different remit to Highlands and Islands Enterprise. That will continue to be the case after the changes have been made.

Fire Service

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to reduce the number of fire service control rooms.

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the options in the Mott MacDonald report, The Future of Fire Service Control Rooms in Scotland, to reduce the number of control rooms from eight to three or less, it will confirm whether it intends that the existing level of control rooms should be retained.

Fergus Ewing: Following an analysis of responses to an earlier consultation exercise in respect of the future of fire control rooms, the Minister for Justice of the previous Executive announced on 1 June 2006 that the matter should be further considered as part of a wider review of Scotland’s preparedness to deal with simultaneous major emergencies. The emergency preparedness review team has completed its report which is being considered by ministers.

Fire Service

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and return to a fire and rescue service-led proactive inspection process

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the process of self-regulation, whereby property owners and occupants are responsible for ensuring that non-domestic premises comply with fire safety legislation, contradicts the principle of community fire safety being the responsibility of the fire and rescue services.

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider returning to the fire and rescue services the responsibility for inspecting non-domestic premises to ensure that they comply with fire safety legislation.

Fergus Ewing: Responsibility for inspecting non-domestic premises to ensure that they comply with fire safety legislation still sits with the fire and rescue services in the majority of cases. Information about the new legislation is available at www.infoscotland.com/firelaw .

Health

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost of consultant out-patient appointments was in the last financial year for which the information is available.

Nicola Sturgeon: The average cost of an attendance at a consultant out-patient clinic in financial year 2005-06 was £107.

Health

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3799 by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 September 2007, when NHS Lothian decided that colorectal surgery would be relocated from the Western General Hospital to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3799 by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 September 2007, when colorectal surgery will be relocated from the Western General Hospital to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3799 by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 September 2007, whom NHS Lothian consulted prior to making the decision that colorectal surgery would be relocated from the Western General Hospital to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Nicola Sturgeon: I understand that NHS Lothian consulted on a number of planned hospital service changes, including relocation of colorectal surgery from the Western General Hospital to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, in 2004. Action plans were subsequently approved by Lothian NHS Board in February 2005.

  The planned date for the relocation of colorectal surgery is July 2009. However, NHS Lothian has recently advised me that they are reviewing their earlier decision in the light of further experience, including medical staffing arrangements and the links between colorectal cancer services and other cancer services at the Western General Hospital. The board has indicated that they intend to complete their review by the end of 2007, and will then reach a decision about the future location of colorectal surgery services.

Health

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3800 by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 September 2007, what the difference is between intensive therapy unit services and critical care capability.

Nicola Sturgeon: Intensive therapy unit services are a subset of critical care capability. The term "critical care" is generally used to describe all levels of clinical support required for seriously ill patients and encompasses routine monitoring after major surgery, high dependency care, and intensive care. Intensive care is normally delivered in intensive therapy units. Where necessary, it includes ventilation of the patient; support and treatment for multiple organ failure, and extensive and constant monitoring of vital functions.

Health

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3797 by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 September 2007, what aspects of NHS Lothian’s Improving Care, Investing in Change plans have been implemented.

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3797 by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 September 2007, what aspects of NHS Lothian’s Improving Care, Investing in Change plans have still to be implemented.

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3797 by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 September 2007, when any outstanding aspects of NHS Lothian’s Improving Care, Investing in Change plans will be implemented.

Nicola Sturgeon: Action plans from "Improving Care, Investing in Change" covered a wide range of options for service change in acute services, older people’s services and mental health services.

  I understand that NHS Lothian have implemented a number of schemes and full details of the changes together with progress reports can be found in NHS Lothian’s website: www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/.

Health

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3802 by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 September 2007, what the proposed catchment areas are for emergency medical admissions to (a) St John’s Hospital, (b) the Western General Hospital and (c) the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3802 by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 September 2007, what changes to patient numbers are anticipated following the new proposed catchment areas for (a) St John’s Hospital, (b) the Western General Hospital and (c) the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Nicola Sturgeon: I understand from NHS Lothian that they are currently preparing a plan to change the catchment areas. The details are still being worked on and the board expect to implement the plan in February 2008.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the running costs are of the community midwife unit at (a) the Vale of Leven Hospital, (b) Inverclyde Hospital and (c) the Royal Alexandra Hospital.

Nicola Sturgeon: The running costs of the community midwifery units at these three hospitals is not held centrally. Information in the Scottish Health Service Costs publication does not explicitly identify the costs associated with community midwifery at hospital level.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of births by (a) caesarean section and (b) natural delivery.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the costs of specific clinical procedures is not available centrally.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to screen for heart disorders in families known to be at risk from heart disease.

Nicola Sturgeon: Close relatives of those with inherited heart disease are already offered access to screening services. We are currently discussing with cardiologists and clinical geneticists the development of a more integrated approach to the management of inherited cardiac conditions.

  As part of the current revision of our Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) and Stroke Strategy, we are considering the emerging research evidence associated with the screening of the families of those with premature CHD.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to merge any NHS boards.

Nicola Sturgeon: No.

Health

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures of NHS output it records and where comparative annual figures for each measure are published.

Nicola Sturgeon: Measuring output in the context of a health system embraces a wide range of factors including, for example, contributing to a healthier population, high quality health are, a breadth of services and improving access.

  Extensive information relating to measures of NHS output, including comparative data, is available from various sources.

  Information Services Division (ISD) is Scotland’s national organisation for health information and statistics. Published data on, for example, the number of hospital discharges (including hip, knee and cataract surgery), out-patient appointments, nurse-led clinics and accident and emergency attendances; consultations with the primary care team; cancer survival; coronary heart disease incidence and mortality, and waiting times can be found on the ISD website: http://www.isdscotland.org.

  Health Scotland is the national agency for improving the health of our population. Health Scotland are involved in a variety of health improvement delivery programmes relating to a range of health topics, including alcohol, drugs, sexual health and mental health improvement. Further details can be found on the Health Scotland website http://www.healthscotland.com.

  Health Protection Scotland (HPS) was established to strengthen and co-ordinate health protection in Scotland. It’s key aim is to work, in partnership with others, to protect the Scottish public from being exposed to hazards which damage their health and to limit any impact on health when such exposures cannot be avoided. More information on HPS, including statistics on Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) is available on their website http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk.

  NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) lead on improving quality of care and treatment delivered by the NHS in Scotland. Further information can be found on the NHS QIS website: http://www.nhshealthquality.org.

Health

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing will direct the independent scrutiny panel established to look at the proposals for the new review of services brought forward by NHS Ayrshire and Arran to engage with communities that did not participate in the earlier consultation.

Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-5008 on 9 October 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Housing

Alasdair Allan (Western Isles) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times are for disability adaptations to houses in each local authority area.

Stewart Maxwell: This information is not held centrally. Local authorities are not required to record this information and any data that they do hold is unlikely to be comparable.

Housing

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the fixed price procedure for selling homes in Scotland is being abused.

Fergus Ewing: We have no evidence that the fixed price procedure for selling homes in Scotland is being abused. But if the member has information to the contrary, he may wish to send it to me.

Housing

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations representing the views of tenants living in social housing will be part of the Housing Supply Task Force.

Stewart Maxwell: The purpose of the task force is to promote action that will make a practical difference to the increase of housing supply across all tenures in Scotland. Organisations representing the views of tenants living in social housing are not represented on the "core" Housing Supply Task Force. Membership of the core group has deliberately been restricted to those in a position to bring about real change to the delivery of more housing. There will, however, be opportunities over the coming months for many others, including tenant organisations, to engage with and influence the work of the task force.

Housing

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the views of tenants living in social rented housing will be taken into account by the Housing Supply Task Force.

Stewart Maxwell: The Housing Supply Task Force will be engaging with a wide range of organisations as it develops its understanding of the issues that are hampering the delivery of more housing of all types in Scotland. Some organisations will be invited to attend task force meetings and it is envisaged that there will be a number of additional events at which interest groups will be able to express their views to the task force.

Housing

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the membership of the Housing Supply Task Force.

Stewart Maxwell: I chair the Housing Supply Task Force which also includes representatives from COSLA, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, Shelter, the Council of Mortgage Lenders and Homes for Scotland.

Justice

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many interdicts and exclusion orders under the Matrimonial Homes (Family Protection) (Scotland) Act 1981 and the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 were granted by the civil courts in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005-06.

Fergus Ewing: The information requested is not held centrally.

Justice

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many actions have been brought to court in the last 10 years for breaches of interdicts with power of arrest attached under the Matrimonial Homes (Family Protection) (Scotland) Act 1981 or the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 and what the court decisions were in respect of such actions.

Fergus Ewing: The available information is given in the following table. The figures in the table provided only relate to cases where the breach of an interdict granted under the Matrimonial Homes (Family Protection) (Scotland) Act 1981 or Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 was the main offence. Someone breaching an interdict is likely to commit other offences at that time, such as criminal damage or assault. Therefore the table provided does not give the full picture of arrests made and cases proceeded under the act.

  Persons Proceeded Against Under the Matrimonial Homes (Family Protection) (Scotland) Act 1981 and the Protection of Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 Section 5(3)1

  

 
Contempt Of Court (Matrimonial Interdict)
Protection of Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 Section 5(3)


Acquitted
Custody
Absolute Discharge
Total
Acquitted
Custody
Admonished
Absolute Discharge
Total


1997-98
2
-
2
4
-
-
-
-
-


1998-99
-
1
-
1
-
-
-
-
-


1999-2000
1
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
-


2000-01
-
1
-
1
-
-
-
-
-


2001-02
1
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
-


2002-03
-
-
-
-
1
1
-
-
2


2003-04
-
-
-
-
2
-
-
-
2


2004-05
-
-
-
-
3
2
2
2
9


2005-06
-
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
3



  Note: 1. These offences relate to cases where the breach of interdict was the main offence.

Ministerial Transport

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many journeys were made by ministers by (a) official car, (b) air, (c) rail and (d) ferry in each year from 2000 to May 2007.

John Swinney: The information available is set out in the following tables.

  Tables 1-3 cover official cars.

  Table 4 covers air travel.

  Table 5 covers rail travel.

  Table 6 covers ferry crossings.

  Tables 1 and 2: Car Journeys Undertaken Between 1999 and 20041.

  Table 1: Manual Scheduling System

  

Calendar Year
Journeys


1999 
5,538


2000
6,149


2001
6,673


2002 (up to and including July)2
3,999



  Table 2: Computerised Scheduling System

  

Calendar Year
Journeys


2002 (from August to December)2
5,709


2003
11,531


2004
12,317



  Notes:

  1. The tables include journeys undertaken by Scottish ministers, ministers of the UK Government Departments when in Scotland, some senior officials at the Scottish Executive, visiting dignitaries and where necessary the transportation of official documents. The underlying records are no longer held.

  2. The numbers provided were compiled using data from two different scheduling methods. Up to and including July 2002, the Government Car Service (GCS) relied on a manual scheduling system where journeys were recorded as one, regardless of the number of points of call. From 1 August 2002, GCS installed a computerised scheduling system which only accepts a single point of call as one journey. The totals in each of the tables are therefore not comparable. The large variation between the number of journeys carried out during the first seven months of 2002 and those completed in the latter months simply reflect the different recording methods, and not because of any increase in the workload.

  Table 3: Car Journeys Undertaken Between 2005 and 2006

  

Calendar Year
Journeys


2005 (1 April to 31 December)
7,6691


2006
9,933


2007 (1 January to 15 May)
2,752



  Note: 1. Data for the period of January to March 2005 is no longer held. This corresponds to an annual figure of approximately 10,250.

  Table 4: Ministerial Flights

  

Calendar Year
Journeys


2002 (1 April to 31 December)
2741


2003
204


2004
234


2005
245


2006 
230 


2007 (1 January to 15 May)
33



  Note: 1. Information prior to April 2002 is no longer held.

  Table 5: Ministerial Rail Journeys

  

Calendar Year
Journeys


2002 (1 April to 31 December)
1521,2


2003
1121


2004
1071


2005
1271


2006
861


2007 (1 January to 15 May) 
281



  Notes:

  1. Additionally, ministers could travel on the Edinburgh to Glasgow route using rail tickets purchased in bulk. No statistics are held covering travel using these.

  2. Information prior to April 2002 is no longer held.

  Table 6: Ministerial Ferry Crossings

  

Calendar Year
Journeys


2002 (1 April to 31 December)
1


2003
1


2004
1


2005
1


2006
2


2007 (1 January – 15 May) 
0



  Note: 1. Information prior to April 2006 is no longer held.

NHS Services

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the terms of reference are for the independent scrutiny panel established to look at the proposals for the new review of services brought forward by NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

Nicola Sturgeon: The task of the Independent Scrutiny Panel chaired by Dr Andrew Walker is to bring to bear independent, expert, probing scrutiny on the revised accident and emergency service proposals from NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Ayrshire and Arran. The aim of this scrutiny is to provide assurance through commentary that the revised proposals are:

  safe, sustainable, evidence-based and represent value for money;

  are robust, patient-centred and consistent with clinical best practice and national policy;

  that they take account of local circumstances and the views of individuals and communities affected, and

  that all viable service options have been considered.

  In order to carry out its task the panel will need to:

  take account of local circumstances and the views of individuals and communities affected by effectively engaging with local people, in liaison with the Scottish Health Council;

  provide a clear, comprehensive and accessible commentary on both sets of proposals to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, in a form also suitable for publication, and

  to complete this work by the turn of the year.

  The panel is an ad hoc group of experts, set up to provide advice on specific, time-limited issues. The material produced by the panel will be considered as additional information and advice; to help inform my final decision on the board’s revised proposals.

  The panel may wish to obtain additional expertise (for example, from a nursing specialist or a health economist) to support its work. This will be left to the discretion of the panel, and a small budget will be set aside for this purpose. The panel will have effective control over the choice of advisers and, within the available budget, over the nature and amount of advice required.

  The panel will consider the evidence in terms of both the revised proposals from NHS Ayrshire and Arran and NHS Lanarkshire. It is expected that 15 days work be devoted to each - 30 working days in total, per person. In exceptional circumstances, this might be extended by up to five working days.

NHS Waiting Times

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which patient groups and treatments are not included in waiting times targets.

Nicola Sturgeon: Current waiting times targets for first out-patient consultations and hospital in-patient and day case treatment cover consultant-led acute specialities, excluding mental health, learning disabilities, obstetrics and homeopathy.

  I have already announced our intention to develop and publish by the end of this year an action plan for health and wellbeing which will set out the government’s health care strategy and key actions for the next three years. Public consultation to inform the development of this action plan is currently underway. Our action plan will include a new and ambitious target for NHS waiting times: a new whole journey waiting time target of 18 weeks from general practitioner referral to treatment. The action plan will set out how we intend to meet the target by December 2011, and the range of services to which it will apply. We will also look very closely at how we can further drive down waiting times for any patient groups that may sit outside this target.

Planning

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will amend Planning Advice Note (PAN) 65: Planning and Open Space in relation to the section entitled "Council or developers making arrangements with a suitable third party, for example, the Scottish Greenbelt Company, for long term maintenance", in light of the concerns raised in Trish Godman’s Members’ Business debate on 6 September 2007 (Offi cial Report  c. 1565) on this subject and by Jim Devine MP at Westminster.

Stewart Stevenson: PAN 65 was published in January 2003. The advice supports the policy set out in National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 11: Sport, Physical Recreation and Open Space  (published 1996), which will shortly be replaced by SPP 11: Open Space and Physical Activity . The majority of the content of PAN 65 continues to be regarded as useful and it has not been our intention to review the PAN at this stage. However, as we move to publication of the finalised SPP 11 we will consider the implications for PAN 65.

Rail Network

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-866 by Stewart Stevenson on 21 June 2007, what the current projected cost is of construction of the Borders railway.

Stewart Stevenson: The current projected cost of construction of the Borders railway is presently being reviewed by Transport Scotland.

Regeneration

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what priority will be given to town centre regeneration, with particular reference to Kirkcaldy.

Stewart Maxwell: The government has committed to a range of actions that will benefit town centres and support their regeneration.

  We are committed to reducing business rates for thousands of small businesses. We intend this measure to help kick-start the revival of town centres across Scotland.

  We have also put in place the legislative framework to allow local businesses in any area to work together with their local authority and other local partners to establish Business Improvement Districts, which in turn can help create more vibrant and viable town centres.

  In addition, Scottish planning policy reinforces the role of town centres as locations for retailing and a wide mix of community and social activities, indicating that town centres should be the first choice for shopping and related developments.

  I am aware of the regeneration activity being taken forward by the Kirkcaldy Renaissance partnership. I support the role of local partnerships in resolving local issues.

  Any further measures will have to be considered as part of or in light of the Spending Review.

Rural Development

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will renew the Eilean Ban Trust’s lease on Eilean Ban when the current lease runs out and, if so, in renewing the lease, whether it will provide the trust with long-term security to ensure a sustainable future for the island for the benefit of the local community.

Stewart Stevenson: The current lease to the Eilean Ban Trust is due to end on 18 October 2015, unless the trust decides to terminate earlier. It is too early to determine future leasing arrangements.

Scottish Government Finance

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations the Scottish Government has made, or intends to make, to the UK Government in relation to the impact on the Scottish budget process of a delay in the spending review such as occurred this year.

John Swinney: In the course of my discussions with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in recent weeks, I have explained the concerns of the Scottish Government over the delay to our budget process arising from the delay to the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Scottish Improvement Service

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact assessment has been made of the effects on local media of the creation of the two new public websites by the Scottish Improvement Service.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government and its public sector partners has an obligation to provide value for money in public service delivery. A full analysis of recruitment and public notice advertising spend was undertaken by the Scottish Executive in 2005-06 confirming overall public spend on Public Notice advertising and recruitment was £47 million. Scoping work was initiated within the Improvement Service in 2006-07 to further develop proposals for a recruitment portal and public notices portal for local government as a priority for the previous administration. The projects align with the policies of the new administration to deliver efficient modern services that are responsive to the needs of citizens.

  There will need to be a review of current legislation regarding the advertising of Public Notices. Any proposed changes to the legislation would provide Parliament with an opportunity to consider how the public sector can deliver more efficiently and improve communication both now and in the future.